Hillary Clinton meets with SC minority business owners at Columbia restaurant + video

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton kicked off her Columbia visit on Wednesday at Kiki's Chicken and Waffles, where she met with minority women business owners.

Clinton arrived shortly after noon, shaking hands and greeting diners in the packed restaurant, posing for pictures with Dayzjohna Roberts, who was celebrating her graduation from W.J. Keenan High School with her family.

Clinton eventually sat down with a small group of business owners to talk, at which point the horde of reporters and their cameras were shuttled out of the restaurant.

Cynthia Hardy of OnPoint! media was asked to moderate the discussion with the business leaders, she said before Clinton arrived.

"It means that somebody cares what we have to say" and "it's great for small business," Hardy said of Clinton's invite to speak to her about their concerns.

Kiki's is owned by minority business owners Kitwanda "Kiki" Smith and Tyrone Cyrus. The couple opened the restaurant in 2012.

Clinton is not the first Democrat with a national profile to visit Kiki's off of Two Notch Road.

Vice President Joe Biden met with area Democrats at the Two Notch Road restaurant in February when he was in town to promote a nearly $500 billion federal transportation package.

Hardy said the candidates likely pick the restaurant for its "authenticity."

"This place just represents a neighborhood place. ... It's not real fancy, but it's everything it needs to be."

Clinton later was scheduled to speak at the 2015 Day of Blue, an annual gathering hosted by the S.C. Democratic Women's Council and the S.C. House Democratic Women's Caucus.

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Hillary Clinton meets with SC minority business owners at Columbia restaurant + video."